'Misleading' claims about statins may have led thousands to stop taking the drug

New research has revealed that an older study published in a leading medical journal, which questioned the use of statinsmay have prompted thousands of people in the UK to stop taking the pills over a six-month period. This could potentially lead to heart attack or strokes, according to the researchers.

The new study refers to research from the British Medical Journal (BMJ) published in October 2013 that questioned the prolonged use of statins to the wider public. The journal suggested the benefits of statins in preventing heart attacks and strokes could be outweighed by the possible side effects in those deemed not high-risk. The BMJ later retracted a claim that one in five people taking statins would suffer side effects.

The new study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine – also published in the BMJ, but funded by the British Heart Foundation – found the trend meant about 200,000 patients stopped taking statins. The team also say that 2,000 more heart attacks or strokes could occur over the next decade, although they highlight that it is impossible to be certain.

The study looked at UK patients over the age of 40 who stopped or started taking statins between January 2011 and March 2015. Using prescribing data from primary care records, they found patients taking statins for both heart disease risk and existing heart disease were more likely to stop taking statins after a period of intense media coverage. For six months after the controversial articles were published, the number of people at risk of heart disease who stopped using statins fell by around 12%.

Six months after publication, the dropout rate returned to previous levels. No evidence was found that coverage affected newly eligible patients starting a course of statins.

"Our findings suggest widespread coverage of health stories in the mainstream media can have an important, real-world impact on the behaviour of patients and doctors. This may have significant consequences for people's health."

"20-25 years ago all of the main medical journals were wholly objective, they would publish data, they would publish objective editorials that look at the balance, we now know that several of the leading medical journals have now got axes to grind… The BMJ for example have made it no secret that they do not like the medicalisation of the normal population, not just when it comes to statins but pregnant women and all sorts of walks of life, in the aged, in terminal care and the like."

Dr Fiona Godlee, editor in chief of The BMJ, rejects the criticism and said in a statement that it seems absolutely right that there is public debate about the benefits and harms of treatments.

Despite the importance of scientific research in to drugs and their effects on health, it is always advised that you consult your doctor before coming off any prescription medicine.

Dr Dawn Harper says:

"We must be so careful about the way we report health issues. It is estimated that scary headlines over the side effects of statins may have cost as many as 2,000 deaths as patients opted to stop taking prescribed medication and this isn't the first time patients have put themselves at risk as a result of scaremongering in the press. I would urge anyone with concerns over any prescription medicine to discuss their worries with their doctor. General Practice is as much an art as it is a science and deciding whether or not to prescribe any medicine involves weighing up the risks and benefits for each individual."

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